Compressor



Sept. 27,1927.

E. WILSON COMPRES SOR Fi led Nov. 17 1925 01' ST.- LOUIS,

OF ST. LOUIS,

EDWARD WILSON,

COMPRESSOR COMPANY,

PATENT OFFICE.

MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL PUMP &

MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

comrnnsson.

Application filed November 1 This invention relates to compressors.

An object of the invention is to provide a compressor designed and adapted particularly for use as a household refrigerator unit, but also capa le of use for commercial purposes such as in meat markets, grocery stores, and other places.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved compressor overcoming and eliminating defects and objections in the case of certain machines now in use by increasing the volume of gas displaced by the piston, in comparison with the theoretical displacement, by eliminating cylinder and valve chamberclearances, to overcome and prevent noisy operation; to provide efiicient means for preventing loss of refrigerant from the compressor to the atmosphere, which usually occurs through the stufiing 2 box and which requires frequent adjustment and replacement of packing; to prevent the superheating of the cylinder which results in a low volume of gas displaced by the piston; andtoprevent escape of oil with the compressed as into thee'xpansion coils.

Another object is to provide a compressor of simple and improved construction; other objects and advantages will appear from the following description, reference being made to the drawing in which Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the compressor.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view.

In the embodiment of the invention shown 36 in the drawing the piston 1 is of the trunk type and is equipped with a hydraulic leather packing 2 held in place by a ring 3 pressing the packing-close against the inner periph-- ery of the cylinder wall. The ring is hel in place by a clamping element 4 secured on a projection 5 from the end wall of the piston. The connecting rod 6 from the piston 1 to the crank shaft 8 operates the piston when the crankshaft is rotated. The crank shaft is above the piston which, as shown, is single acting although the invention is not restricte to a compressor embodying a single acting piston. The crank shaft 8 has a worm wheel 9 attached thereto and is driven by a worm 10 on a motor driven shaft 11.

The piston operates within a cylinder 12 and the other working parts described are enclosed within a casing 13 designed an adapted to contain a sufficient quantity of lubricant to keep the working parts well lu- 7, 1923. Serial No. 675,384.

bricated. The lower portion of the wheel 9 operates within a deepened part 14 of the caslng 13 which contains oil that will be taken up by the wheel to lubricate-other parts.

The device comprises a vertical compression chamber 15 the upper end of which is conical. The conical shape of the upper end of the compression chamber prevents noise that would result from impact of the liquid against a flat wall. An inlet passage to the upper end of the compression chamber is provided, the same comprising a chamber 16 opening at its upper side into the conical upper end of the chamber 15 through a passage 17. The suction inlet18 is controlled by a valve 19 held to its seat by a s ring 20. The discharge passage 21 from t e upper end of the chamber 15 opens into a small chamber 22 which opens into the discharge outlet 23. The passage 21 is controlled by a valve 24 actuated to its seat by a spring 25.

-A relatively small venting passage 26 forms communication from the chamber 22 into the upper end of the chamber 15.

Below the piston l is a relatively large chamber 27 which with the chamber 15 forms a modified type of U-tube. The chamber 27 is of considerably larger cross sectional area than the chamber 15.

The U-tube comprising the chambers 15 and 27 contains a quantity of mercury indicated by the heavy shading on the drawing. Floating on the top of the mercury in the chamber 27 is a quantity of heavy oil which together with the amount of mercury in the lower portion of the chamber 27 completely fills said chamber 27 to the exclusion of all gas or air. The heavy oil in the chamber 27 isindicated by the light shading. It will be noted that a small quantity of mercury is in the discharge valve chamber 22 and that the suction valve chamber 16 will always retain mercury up to the bottom of the opening 17. A small quantity of mercury will remain in d the discharge valve chamber when the device is in operation and at each operation of the piston 1 a small quantity of mercury will pass the valve 2 1. To return the mercury to the chamber 15 the venting passage 26 is rovided.

. When the piston 1 is raised during operad tion of the compressor the column of merchamber 15 will fall and the cury in the through the suction inlet into gas will pass the upper end of the chamber 15. Downward movement of the piston 1 causes an upward movement of the column of mercury in the chamber 15 with consequent compression and'dischargeof the gas.

The piston 1 being single acting it will be seen that when working with a refrigerant gas the range of pressure of which is above atmosphere there will always be an upward'thrust against the piston and bearngs and an absence of any knock, due to reciprocation of the load upon the bearings. This feature in connection with the slow speed and large bearing surfaces produces silent operation. I

The oil in the crank case is under atmospheric pressure which makes it unnecessary to provide a stuffing box to prevent escape of the refrigerant from the compressor where the drive shaft enters the case, as is common with the usual type of machine. The leather packed piston sealed by heavy oil above the mercury in the chamber 27 prevents escape of the refrigerant.

The chamber 15 is partly enclosed by a water jacket 28 which, because of the slow movement of the piston, prevents superheatin It will be noted that the oil never enters the chamber 15 and that the communication 29 from the chamber 27 to said chamber 15 is always filled with mercury and that the mercury fills the bottom of the chamber 27 This provides a complete separation of the refrigerant and the lubricating oil which is a highly desired feature of the invention.

A removable screw 30 and enclosing cap 31 afi'ord access to the chamber 27 in order to correct any variation in the relative amounts of oil and mercury.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention comprises a novel structure and improved mechanism producing a silent and continuously lubricated compressor in entering the oil in the chamber 27 column of mercury in the chamber in the lower by the 15 and portion of said chamber 27 Super-heating is prevented by the efficient lubrication and by the water jacket 28.

I contemplate such variations within the scope of the appended claims as may be found desirable to obtain the intended objects and purposes of the invention. 7

I do not restrict myself unessentially, but what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. A compressor comprising a compression chamber having the interior of its upper end tapered and having a gas inlet through the wall of said tapered portion and a gas outlet at the apex of said tapered portion, a chamber above said compression chamber having a gas outlet therefrom and a .Vent passage opening into the compres chamber,

a vent passage opening into the cylinder, a chamber sion chamber, a valve in said second chamsion chamber having an inlet passage and an outlet passage, an additional chamber having an opening into the lower end of said compression chamber and having its upper Wall relatively a considerable distance above said opening, a cylinder opening through the upper wall of said additional chamber and having its lower end between said opening and the upper wall of said additional and a piston operating in said cylinder and having a down stroke terminating above saidopening from said additional chamber to said compression chamber.

3. A compressor comprising a compression chamber having an inlet passage and an outlet passage, an additional chamber having an opening into the lower end of said compression chamber and having its upper Wall relatively a considerable distance above said opening, a cylinder opening through the upper wall of said additional chamber and having its lower end between said opening and the upper wall of said additional chamber, a piston operating in said cylinder and having a down stroke terminating above said opening from said additional chamber to said compression chamber, aquantity of mercury in said chambers sufiicient to fill the compression chamber and the passage therefrom to said additional chamber when said piston is down, and a quantity of oil in said additional chamber supported by the mercury and completely filling the remain- WhlCh the refrigerant gas is prevented from der of said additional chamber when said piston is down;

4. A compressor comprising a compres sion chamber having the interior of its upper end tapered and having a gas inlet through the wall of said tapered portion and a gas outlet at the apex of said tapered portion, a, chamber above said compression chamber having a gas outlet therefrom and compression chamber, a valve in said second chamber controlling the outlet passage from said compression .chamber, means for maintaining a liquid seal for said inlet passage, a of larger area than said cylinder into which said cylinder opens and having a passage opening into the compression chamber entirely below the lower end of the cylinder, a piston operating in said cylinder, and mechanism for operating said piston on up and down strokes in which the down strokes terminate above the opening from said last named chamber to said compression chamber. 5. A compressor, comprisin a chamber having the interiorof thereof tapered, an outlet for compressed gas opening from. the apex of the tapered of chamber, a valve chamber into which said outlet opens, av valve in sa'd valve chamber in controlling said outlet, a passage from said valve chamber independent of the outlet opening into the first-named chamber, a gas inlet opening into the first-named near said outlet, an additional chamber communicating with the first-name chamber, a quantity of mercury confined in said chambers sufficient to fill the first-named chamber entirely and also fill the lower portion of the second chamberto a height sufiicient to fill the commun' cation between said chambers, a quantity of oil in said additional chamber, and a piston opera-tin oil to move the mercury to e sion.

ect compression chamber having the interior of its upper end tapered and havin a gas et and a gas outlet, a cylinder, a c amberoflarger area than said cylinder into which said cylan inder opens and having a passage opening into the compression chamber entirely below the lower end of the cylinder, a piston operating in said cylinder, and means for maintainingraliquid seal in said inlet passage.

7. A compressor, comprising a chamber havingthe interior of one end thereof tapered, a gas inlet opening into the tapere end of the chamber, anoutlet for the compressed gas from the apex of the tapered endof the chamber, a quantity of liquid in said chamber that will not absorb gas, a

quantity of oil in the end of the chamber opposite from said outlet, means for correcting variations in the amounts of oiland 5 liquid, mechanism acting upon the oilvto move said liquid to efiect compression, and means for preventing oil from passing into having the interior of ,liquid in said chamber th chamber against other 6. A compressor comprising a compresthe tube and to that part of the chamberin which comression is effected. v

8. A compressor, comprising a chamber one end thereof tapered, a gas inlet opening into the chamber, an outlet for the compressed gas from t e tapered end of the chamber, a quantity of at will not absorb gas, ,a quantity of oil in the end of the chamber opposite from nism actingup'on the oil to move said liquid for corto effect compression,

recting any variation in of oil and liquid.

9. A com ressor, comprising a U-tube, one leg of whic is tapere on the inside of its upper end and the other leg of which is of greater cross sectional area than the firstnamed leg, a piston operating toward and away from said tube of tional area, a quantity of mercury in the first leg of the tube and in the bottom of the second leg of the tube sufficient in one position of the piston to fill the first leg of the tube and to close communication between said legs, and a quantity of oil in the secon leg of the tube filling the space between the mercury and the piston.

10. A compressor, comprising a U-tube, one leg of which is tapered on the inside of its upper end and the other leg of which is-of greater cross sectional area than the first-named leg, a piston operating toward and away from sai tube of larger cross sectional area, a quantity of mercury in the first leg of the tube and in the. bottom of the second leg of the tube sufiicient in one position of the piston to fill the first leg of close .a quantity of oil in the secfilling the space he and a device the relative amounts tween said legs,

0nd leg of the tube tween the mercury and the piston, an inlet to the leg of the tube containing the tapered end, a discharge outlet from said leg of the tube,

and valves controlling said inlet and outlet respectively. EDW WILSON larger cross seccommunication 

